Old Pueblo Grill bustles with lively breakfast chatter among young adults for a half-hour.
Then that month's featured person from a children's charity talks for a few minutes. Then the politicians get three egg-timer minutes each. Then the group breaks up and everybody goes to work.
It's 75 minutes packed with networking and getting face time with charities and political leaders. Any gray hairs in the banquet room belong to the guests.
The "South of 45 Breakfast Club" does what the Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions, etc., don't: provide a business socializing environment limited to the under-45 age group. Membership tends toward the professional: The annual dues are $360.
That covers breakfast each month and, more importantly, funds the pot from which the $500 donation comes for each month's featured charity.
"The charities are not allowed to ask for money. We give them a check for $500," said Rodney Glassman, who founded South of 45 with Larry Cesare, whose family owns the Viscount Suite Hotel.
Cesare, 40, and Glassman earlier this year noted a void in the community for the younger business crowd. They formed a club that has relationship building at its root and charity support as its heart.
The idea was Cesare's but Glassman is the club's front man. "I have more time than anyone else," Glassman said.
Glassman's family owns the Gateway Ice Center, where Glassman is vice president. Glassman, 25, makes things happen.
In six years as a Tucson resident, the Fresno, Calif., native managed the ice rink as a 19 year old, got three degrees at UA (bachelor's in agricultural economics, master's in business administration and master's in public administration), took doctoral courses at Arizona State University, tried to get appointed to the Pima County Board of Supervisors and serves as a legislative aide in business and agriculture for U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
By age 20, Glassman got on the board of the Catalina Council of Boy Scouts. He had become an Eagle Scout at age 13.
"My parents were always involved in children's issues in Fresno," Glassman said. "In the last couple years I've attempted to increase my community participation and improve the lives of children in Tucson."
That led Glassman to start an annual, $500-a-ticket Gentleman's Roast in 2000 and this year he added an "Evening of Love Songs," raising $2,000 by letting business leaders with musical talent play with an ad-hoc university orchestra.
"I firmly believe many of the ills of the community would be easily resolved by investing in the future of children," he said.
Glassman and Cesare structured South of 45 to allow "meaningful dialogue," as well as getting to know all the members over time. It's assigned seating at four-seat tables and every month you sit with someone else.
The politicians and charity folks are part of the assigned seating. Three each of Tucson City Council members, Pima County supervisors, state senators and representatives and Tucson Unified School District members have attended.
"I joined because of the political awareness. I want to go more now to hear about the charities," said Charmaine Lang, 33, a tax accountant at Beach, Fleishman. "I think it's a totally different perspective (than other organizations). We're all early in our careers. We deal with a whole different dynamic."
South of 45 drew 20 people to the first meeting in September, 40 in October and 56 in November. Membership is up to 66 this week.
"If we work together now, we will have created our future instead of reacting to what it is when we're there," said Sean Stuchen, 33, a financial consultant at Smith Barney. "The value of the younger group is we have the same perspective of where we are and where we're heading."
SOUTH OF 45 BREAKFAST CLUB:
Membership requirement: Younger than 45 years old.
When: second Friday of each month
Time: 7 to 8 a.m. Where: Old Pueblo Grill, 60 N. Alvernon Way
Children's organizations that have received $500 from the club: Pio Decimo Center, Youth on Their Own, One-on-One Partners
Politicians who have attended:
Tucson City Council - Kathleen Dunbar, Shirley Scott, Carol West
Pima County Board of Supervisors - Sharon Bronson, Dan Eckstrom, Ray Carroll
TUSD Governing Board - Joel Ireland, Judy Burns, Mary Belle McCorkle
Arizona House of Representatives - Dave Bradley, Ted Downing, Pete Hershberger
Arizona Senate - Victor Soltero, Gabrielle Giffords, Tim Bee
The December lineup: Pima County Supervisor Ann Day, Tucson City Councilman Steve Leal, state Sen. Toni Hellon, TUSD board member Bruce Burke, state Rep. Linda Lopez
